Tributes pour after death of Rajesh Khanna, 'the first Bollywood superstar'

By Harmeet Shah Singh, CNN

Updated 2:38 PM ET, Thu July 19, 2012

Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood superstar6 photos

Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood superstar – Rajesh Khanna waves arrives for the "7th Apsara Awards" during the ceremony in Mumbai, India, on January 25. Khanna's death was anounced Wednesday by his son-in-law, Akshay Kumar. He was 69.

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Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood superstar6 photos

Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood superstar – Khanna, center, who was elected to the lower house of the Indian parliament in 1992, shows a victory sign during a Congress Party election campaign meeting in New Delhi in November 2003.

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Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood superstar – Khanna talks to the media at the Venetian Hotel in Macau after receiving his lifetime achievement award at the 10th International Indian Film Academy in 2009.

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Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood superstar – A float bearing the coffin of Rajesh Khanna is carried in a procession to the crematorium in Mumbai on Thursday, July 19.

Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood superstar – Fans strive to get a glimpse of Khanna as his body is carried on a float during the funeral procession, Thursday.

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Story highlights

His movies are part of Indian "film folklore," the prime minister says

The actor had been in and out of hospital in recent months

He is best remembered for the romantic movies he made in the '60s and '70s

Khanna also spent four years as a lawmaker in the Indian parliament

The Indian actor Rajesh Khanna, who became the first Bollywood superstar, died Wednesday in Mumbai at the age of 69, his family said.

The death of Khanna, who starred in dozens of movies in a career spanning five decades, prompted tributes from fellow actors and the Indian government.

"He was called the first superstar of the Indian cinema and his popularity as a romantic hero in the 1960s and 1970s is a part of our film folklore," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote in a condolence message to Khanna's family.

"Rajesh Khanna taught us how to smile. He added dignity to our concept of romance," the actor Anupam Kher said in a message posted on his Twitter feed. "His songs made us forget our daily struggles of life."

Khanna had been in and out of the hospital during the past few months, but the nature of his illness and cause of death have not been officially disclosed.

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Bollywood legend Rajesh Khanna dies

After Khanna's son-in-law, Akshay Kumar, who is also a Bollywood star, announced his death Wednesday, crowds of people gathered outside his Mumbai home. And hundreds of people lined the streets of Mumbai for his funeral Thursday.

Khanna began his movie career in the 1966 film Aakhri Khat (The Last Letter), but his breakout role came three years later in the highly successful Aradhana (Worship), in which he played a dashing pilot.

He went on to star in a string of hit romantic movies, and his shy smile won him legions of devoted admirers. Among his most popular films were Safar (Journey) in 1970; Anand (Bliss) in 1971; and Haathi Mere Sathi (Elephant, My Companion) also in 1971.